August 30, 2011

Lucky

As I mentioned in yesterday's brief post, we were very lucky to have had no damage at all from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene. Right up until Sunday morning, the National Weather Service had forecast from 5 to 8 inches of rain for us from the storm, and that's what we had prepared for. As it turned out, we received far less than that -- maybe an inch or a bit more. We've had far worse rainstorms this year, including a freak massive hailstorm/rainstorm in May that produced a lot of local flooding. So all of us in this immediate area were very fortunate indeed; there is flooding and damage to the south and southeast of us in New Hampshire, and of course all the terrible devastation in Vermont and New York, but somehow we were spared. We never even lost power.

Because of the original projections, we had spent days preparing for the worst. In these photos I took on Monday, in the one at the top of the post you can see the drain pipes we added to the downspouts on the gutters to carry water away from the foundation of the house. We also dug out the ditches again -- these had been partially filled in with dirt and debris washed down during the freak May storm:

The berm across the drive was a temporary measure to help direct water that comes down the surface to drain off to the side before it ends up at the house. It looks a bit squashed because we had since driven over it once or twice by the time I took the photos.

We had also taken in everything that could get blown away, like dog cots, and tied down and strapped down other things, like the trash dumpster. We also parked vehicles and trailers in the safest location, and used the tractor pallet forks to hold down lumber and other materials.

Last but not least, I moved the wireless weather station over to the fence and tied it down:

In Montana we had it bolted down onto heavy boards, but the weather here is generally much more gentle, so I haven't bothered. Apparently we needn't have worried this time either!

Still, even as we count our blessings, our hearts go out to the people who weren't as lucky as we were.

Glad to know that you are all okay. It's a lot of work to prepare but necessary and certainly not wasted even if you are "lucky" enough not to need it.
A question - why are you no longer putting the link to the Animal Rescue contest site? I make a point to go directly to the site to vote for you after I read your latest blog.

It's wonderful to hear that all's fine at the RDR or should I say RDF? You prepared for the worst, and in those situations, it's important to do.
Thanks so much for taking such wonderful care of all the animals in your care.
Hugs all around,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit

Always better to be prepared for the worst and then thankful when that doesn't happen. And there's probably lots of new and interesting smells for everyone to check out now, too. Best wishes for peace and quiet the rest of the year. RainbowCats & their people

So glad to hear that all is well with your gang. So many other places, including many not far from where I live in Jersey didn't fare so well. There's so much flooding. My heart goes out to everyone in all the states who had to deal with this. Glad it was less than expected for you and Alayne and all the animals. I know it took time to get prepared, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. And whoever said that it was a lot of hype obviously was lucky not to be affected.

It was good to here that you all are fine. I was wondering, what did you do with all your dogs,horses and other annimals. That was one of my concerns. I'm sure you had a safe place for them. It just crossed my mine because you have so many. Some of the stories in other states are so heart breaking. Glad you all are OK Take Care
Jean Steinberg
Colorado

Thank you Steve for the update. I am very glad you all fared so well. You and Alaynes pre planning would have gone far to help you had you needed it. It never hurts to 'practice' because you just don't know which storm is going to be a bad one and do more damage. I feel bad for the people who did get Irenes wrath but and relieved that my favorite farm and living beings were spared.

A lot of us prepared for "Mean Irene" and thank God that she was more "merciful" where we lived. On the other hand, when your maiden name is "Murphy", you do not leave these things to the whim of the Gods. Me and mine at "Taint Much" are gratified to hear that you and yours at "Rolling Dog Farm" are safe! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)